Beautiful Sky
by Sleep Walking Chicken
Summary: Romantic moments between Tohru and Kyo, each one different from the next. A collection of oneshots for the 30 Romances LJ community. Dropped due to lack of inspiration
1. In the End

**Beautiful Sky**

**_In the End_**  
_Theme #8:_ Analysis

_Warning_: Minor spoilers for later chapters, I think.

_Author's Notes:_ This is the collection of stories I'll be writing for Kyou/Tohru pairing for the 30 Romances LJ community. This is my attempt to break away from the Inuyasha fandom a little bit, so please excuse any characterization faults that may be present. This particular one-shot was inspired by the Kyoru ship manifesto on LJ, and I'm sure those who have read it will see how I was inspired.

---

Yuki Sohma was not stupid, and he could see the things that were blind to the other two. He, as the rat, should have won the battle between earning the affection of Tohru Honda. He should have come out victorious, just as the rat always did over the cat. It was written in the stars, many centuries ago, that the rat always outsmarted the cat. The cat was the reject of the zodiac, the scapegoat for the others to regard as something unworthy. The rat was not supposed to lose to the cat. But, perhaps, if he'd stayed, he could have won. If he'd stayed on the path heading towards a romance with Tohru.

It wasn't that he didn't love Tohru. Of course he adored her, for who could not adore Tohru? She was the epitome of kindness, and never had anything bad to say about anyone. She was so understanding and loving, it was impossible not to be drawn to her and adore her for the wonderful person she was.

He did love Tohru, but he'd been looking for a different love. He'd been searching for a mother in her, and while he may have found it, it wasn't fair to Tohru to keep her to himself. Besides, he'd found someone else he loved. Machi wasn't like Tohru, but Machi was the one he wanted to stay with, and that was all that truly mattered.

Sure, he'd tried. Earlier on, before he met Machi and before he saw that budding romance blossoming between the rice ball and cat, he'd showed Tohru affection and was often blessed with a stammer, a blush, or perhaps even a loss of footing, if he was lucky. Tohru Honda was easy to read in that respect.

But something changed. Perhaps it was when he first saw the way Kyou looked at Tohru. Kyou was brash and harsh; he was always fighting, even over the stupidest things. Usually the two would bust out in a full-blown fight over something Yuki said. Kyou was always looking for a way to prove himself to Yuki, looking for a way to finally bring Yuki to his knees and win a fight. But the rat always prevailed. Kyou was easy to read in that respect, too.

Kyou had always been harsh, and explosive. He rarely thought before he acted. He would just jump in and worry about what was at the bottom while he was already half way down. But, when he looked at Tohru, Yuki could see the gentlest of expressions on his face, and the glimmering remnants of emotions half-hidden in his guarded eyes. With Tohru, he was overly cautious, and when he did explode at her, he was quick to retract and act that same awkward self. Kyou was nervous around girls, for obvious reasons, but even Tohru could tame his wild blood.

He'd analyzed the situation drastically, calculating every little look, every tender smile, every stray glance, every accidental brush of fingers against an arm…

Yuki could get Tohru to blush, to stammer, to trip over herself… when he tried.

But Kyou could do it effortlessly. He wasn't even aware of the effect he had on Tohru, and Tohru probably wasn't aware of it herself. Yuki had to work to get her cheeks to turn red. But Kyou could do it with a simple, intense gaze.

He'd lost to Kyou before it had even started, but somehow, it hadn't crushed him like he thought it had. He'd backed away gracefully, so much unlike his rat nature to defeat the cat at all costs. Perhaps, if he'd continued to pursue it, he would have won out eventually, just as the rat always did. But he hadn't. He hadn't wanted to.

He watched them change around one another. Some days it was quiet and gentle. Other days, the atmosphere surrounding them was so intense Yuki had to wonder how the two couldn't notice when it felt like an oversized brute clubbing them over the head.

They were both so ignorant, it was almost charming. He knew that, eventually, they would figure it out, and he would laugh silently to himself because he'd seen it long before they both did. That was the power of being a third party, Yuki reasoned with himself.

Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if he'd continued trying to capture Tohru's attentions. Would she willingly turn to him? The girl didn't seem to realize the inner battle between the two boys when it came to her. In her mind, she loved them both but there was just something about Kyou.

Yuki, upon further investigation, would determine that it was a good thing he'd pulled away. When he'd made an effort to get Tohru to blush, it had almost seemed unnatural. With Kyou and Tohru, it was unnatural for them not to have such a reaction. They were made for one another.

Yuki sat at the table, watching the way Kyou looked to Tohru as she served him food and the way she would smile so brightly, any normal man's heart would burst in his chest. Kyou looked down and Yuki saw the red on his cheeks he tried so fruitlessly to hide.

"Thanks," he muttered to his food and Tohru's smile widened and her cheeks turned pink as she moved on to serve Shigure and then himself.

"Thank you, Honda-San," Yuki said simply, smiling benignly at Tohru as she finished serving him.

Tohru beamed at him, but her cheeks did not turn red nor did she stammer when she spoke, quite clearly, to the rat, "You're welcome!"

He watched as Tohru served herself and sat down to enjoy her meal. He glanced at Kyou to see him sparing glances at Tohru as she sat down to his left. Tohru gave Kyou a hesitant look and they both looked away quickly as their eyes locked, their cheeks turning pink and a flustered smile on Tohru's lips.

He watched them through the entire dinner, ignoring Kyou's mutters of how the rat should stop looking at him, and ignoring Tohru's cheerful attempts at conversation. Shigure made some snide remarks that caused a small glare from Kyou and an eye roll from Yuki. But the prince's eyes always seemed to stray back to the simple and natural interactions between his two housemates.

They seemed to always be touching, if only for a small moment. Tohru's fingers would brush over Kyou's as she passed him the dishes, Kyou's elbow would bump against Tohru's forearm as he ate, and Yuki could swear that at one point Tohru's knee bumped against Kyou's leg accidentally.

But it seemed so incredibly natural.

Yes, Yuki might have been able to win against Kyou if he'd tried harder, if he'd truly tried to grasp that unreachable goal.

But that was not the case. It had never been the case. Yuki was never even in the running. Yuki never stood a chance against the careful, yet explosive, way Kyou cared for Tohru. Yuki never stood a chance against the loving, tender way Tohru cared for Kyou.

Truly, the cat had beaten the rat, in the end.


	2. Apples

**Beautiful Sky**

_**Apples**  
Theme #19: Stay  
_Warnings: Possible spoilers for later chapters.

---

It was a strange feeling, knowing that he would never return there. That thought kept plaguing his mind, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't banish that thought. He wasn't sad about leaving the school. On the contrary, he'd been looking forward to leaving ever since he entered the school. What he feared was after graduation. What he feared was what was beyond the school… beyond the Sohma family.

The leaves were just starting to appear on the bare branches. Spring was coming, and with it, the new school year. But he would not return to a school.

"I can't wait for the apples to come in," Tohru said softly, sitting beside him, her lips always turned up into her cheerful smile. Her head was tilted back, looking at the branches of the apple tree the two sat beneath. She was thinking about what the tree would look like in fall, with bright green leaves and even brighter red apples. "They're always so tasty."

"Yeah," he said vaguely, unsure what Tohru was expecting him to say. Tohru was still smiling.

"We can make applesauce again, like we did last year," Tohru continued, taking no mind of Kyo's lack of response. She was far too used to it now for it to truly bother her. But that was Tohru's way. Kyo resisted the urge to smile.

'_Will we be here in the fall?'_ Kyo found himself wondering. He'd been thinking of traveling. Would he still be at this house in the fall? Would he still be in this house in the summer? Would he ever be in this house again?

"Or I can bake the apples and put cinnamon on them," Tohru was thinking out loud again, as she was opt to do when they were alone. It just showed she was at peace with him. That, in turn, put him at peace. "I saw a recipe for that somewhere… Mom used to make them all the time. They're very good."

Kyo remained silent, lost in his thoughts. If he were to go, would Tohru come with him? He'd often thought of that question in his mind, but wouldn't allow himself such wishful thinking. He wouldn't know what to do if he couldn't be with her. But could he really stay here?

"Shigure-San might want me to try and make a pie," Tohru said, still looking at the bare branches and imagining an abundance of apples. She didn't seem to notice Kyo's inner dilemma, for she had long ago grown used to the silence he sometimes had when they sat together. She was used to doing the talking.

Tohru swept her long brown hair away from her eyes and she let the winter sun kiss her cheeks. Her bright blue eyes fell shut and she continued to smile, just as she always did. She was always smiling.

"It's too bad we only have one apple tree here. Other fruits would be nice. I know that Sohma-Kun has strawberries," Tohru was saying. Kyo wasn't sure how intently he was listening anymore.

Tohru lowered her head and looked at the grass beneath their legs.

"I love strawberries," she said. "But apples are easier to cook with."

Kyo shifted and moved closer to her. His back popped as he moved off the trunk of the tree and scooted down a bit farther, lying on the grass with his head cushioned on one of the roots of the tree. Surprisingly, it wasn't an uncomfortable experience. Perhaps Tohru's presence made it a bit more pleasant.

He closed his eyes and sighed quietly, listening to the soft ringing bells that were Tohru's laughter and wondering about whether he'd be around to taste Tohru's apples dishes in the fall. He wondered if maybe he would taste them, only the apples wouldn't be from the tree they sat beneath.

"Your cheeks are pink, Kyo-Kun," Tohru said suddenly and Kyo cracked his eyes open, looking up at the girl as she leaned over worryingly, looking at his pink cheeks. "Are you too cold?"

"I'm fine," Kyo said lightly. He closed his eyes again. "It's cold out here."

"Do you want a scarf?" Tohru sounded worried.

"No," he said. He could picture Tohru working to take off her scarf in his mind's eye. His eyes didn't have to be open to know what the girl was doing. "Keep it on."

Tohru made a tiny noise that suggested that she didn't like the idea of leaving Kyo with a bare neck. As a response to such a noise, Kyo turned up the collar of his jacket, shielding his neck from the cold winter breeze.

"There," he said matter-of-factly. "Happy?"

"Yes!" Her voice sounded cheerful enough. He could hear the smile in her voice.

He felt the corners of his lips twitch and he sighed lightly. With a small creak of his elbows, he propped himself up and looked at Tohru. Her cheeks were a bright pink—probably from the wind.

Maybe he'd stay. If not for a little while. She was smiling at him, but there was a question in her blue eyes.

"Baked apples sound good," Kyo said quietly. Tohru's smile widened, if possible, and she nodded happily.


	3. Dreaming

**Beautiful Sky**

**_Dreaming_**  
_Theme #22: _Shadow

---

Kyou couldn't sleep. It was a shame, because the cat-like tendencies in him often made it impossible for him not to sleep. But tonight, he couldn't find himself growing sleepy.

He stared at the ceiling high above him, watching the way the moonlight cast shadows of the window on the ceiling. It stretched over the long expanse of wooden ceiling and he traced the droplets the earlier rain left on his window. A cloud passed over the moon and his room was bathed in darkness.

He frowned thoughtfully. The cloud passed and he could see the moon again. It cast shadows on the floor and over his futon. His room was quite Spartan and there wasn't much of anything around to cast mysterious shadows. He only had the window pane encasing his body like a picture frame.

He wanted to sleep. He didn't much care for insomnia.

As he was lying in the darkness of his room, not doing much of anything but being bored and frustrated at his inability to fall back to sleep, he heard something through the paper thin walls of his home.

He heard a shuffling and the tiniest of sighs. Kyou lifted his head and turned on his stomach, observing the wall directly behind him, where his futon lined up. He heard a small womanly snore and the crinkling of crisp sheets folding under a warm body.

He could hear Tohru sleeping. He smiled, despite himself, and rested his head on his pillow, listening to Tohru toss in her sleep, undoubtedly dreaming about something. Tohru was a good sleeper, and it had become a sort of game to hear the crazy dreams Tohru had.

Kyou didn't know how long he stayed there, on his stomach and listening to Tohru breathe and dream, but the next time he was conscious of anything it was morning and sunlight was penetrating his empty room.


	4. Hands

**Beautiful Sky**

_**Hands**  
Theme #1: _Cold hands

---

Tohru hummed pleasantly beside him as they walked. She carried a bag of groceries in her hand while Kyou carried the other. He'd wanted to carry both for her, but she'd politely refused and insisted that it was important that they work together. Tohru had a habit of looking too deeply into things, but he let her carry the lighter of the two bags regardless.

It was snowing now, and, in hindsight, Kyou wished he'd grabbed some mittens. Tohru was all decked out for the weather, wearing the pink scarf she loved, her hat, and gloves. She looked like she'd walked straight out of a winter catalogue, and the lasting effect was quite charming.

He, on the other hand, only had on a scratchy scarf and a jacket. He, personally, hated wearing scarves, as he hated wearing anything around his neck, but he'd worn it to pacify Tohru. She'd been worried it would start snowing and he wouldn't be warm enough. Her first prediction was correct, at least. Snow was dusting the ground around them and the large flakes danced in the winter wind.

"I hope the others are home," Tohru said conversationally. "I'd hate for them to be caught out in the cold without proper clothing."

"Yeah," Kyou said distantly, not particularly caring about his two housemates. "I'm sure the rat's just fine."

Tohru laughed, having grown far too used to Kyou's disapproval of Yuki to say anything in his defense. Instead, she picked up her pace and glanced back over her shoulder, watching the way her shoes left small imprints in the small layer of snow.

A car horn sounded and Tohru yelped in surprise as Kyou shot out and grabbed her hand, tugging her back from the street corner. The car continued on, leaning on its horn, and ignoring the two teenagers on the street corner.

"Geez," Kyou said in surprise, tugging Tohru back away from the curb. "How much of an air-head can you be?"

Tohru laughed, smiling cheerfully at Kyou.

"Stop that," Kyou ordered, growing frustrated. "You have to look where you're going. Give me a damn heart attack, why don't ya?"

Tohru laughed again and her soft blue eyes stared only at Kyou. "Sorry, Kyou-Kun," she said apologetically, "I was just looking at the snow. It's lovely isn't it?"

The light on the other end of the crosswalk turned green, signaling they could walk. Opting not to answer, Kyou tugged her along; wary of the cars around them and wishing that Tohru had a bit more common sense in that air head of hers. They continued walking, Kyou pulling her along. He wouldn't let go.

"Kyou-Kun, your hands are so cold!" Tohru said suddenly, looking up at Kyou in alarm. She looked worried for a moment before presenting her hands to him. "Would you like my mittens?"

"No," Kyou said, frowning thoughtfully as he stuffed his free hand into the pocket of his jacket and kept hanging onto Tohru's other hand. "I don't need them."

"But it's bad to be cold," Tohru said firmly, and looked quite determined to make him wrap up for the winter. Snow fell around them softly, dusting the tops of trees and the path home.

Kyou gave her a tiny smile and continued walking, saying nothing. Tohru must have gotten the message because her hold on his hand only tightened, determined to warm up his hands as best she could. They walked together, leaving footsteps in the snow as they moved.

"I'm not cold," Kyou said suddenly. His hands may have felt cold to Tohru, but he didn't feel the least bit chilly. "I'm fine, really."

Tohru sighed and smiled benignly at Kyou, quickening her pace to walk beside him instead of behind him. She tightened her hold on his hand again, as if determined never to let go. He chuckled lightly and inhaled the strange scent of winter that filtered around them.

"You have large hands," Tohru said suddenly.

Kyou gave her a withered look. "Huh?"

"Your hands," Tohru said again, "they're large."

"Maybe yours are the small ones," Kyou shot back, looking bemused.

Tohru seemed to consider this in all seriousness. Her eyebrows slanted downwards as she tilted her head, regarding their conjoined hands thoughtfully. He rolled his eyes. Tohru was adorable. He paused at another crosswalk and tugged on Tohru when she looked like she would continue walking. Cards whizzed by.

"Your fingers are pink, are you sure you're not cold?" Tohru asked again.

"If I said no, would that keep you from worrying?" Kyou asked instead of answering. Tohru frowned attentively and shook her head. "I didn't think so. No, I'm fine."

"But…" Tohru began.

"Stop it," Kyou commanded in an affectionate tone. "I'm okay. I promise."

Tohru still looked unsure but focused her attentions on several cars passing by. Eventually, the light changed and the two continued across the street, heading back towards their home in the woods. They soon approached the side street that would lead to the house and the snow was piling up by that point.

"We can make a snow man later," Tohru bubbled.

"Huh," Kyou said, only half-listening.

"I wonder if this snow is good for packing," Tohru said, more to herself than to Kyou. "Sometimes it's so powdery you can't do much with it but look at it, you know?"

"Huh," Kyou said again.

Tohru either didn't hear Kyou's disinterest or chose to ignore it, because she continued talking about the snow all the way home and clutching Kyou's hand tightly in order to give him some of his warmth.

Kyou felt warm just standing next to her.


End file.
